Sometimes bad is good, and 30 days of meditation challenge.

Hey there, friends!!

Yes, it has been a while and a lot has happened in the last year. I was going to say that it was about 90% good things, and 10% not so good. I am changing that statement though, I will say that it is all good because I truly believe that everything "bad" that happens is just making way for something even better. That is so cliche, right? "When one door closes another one opens", "Everything happens for a reason", "What is meant to be will be".... such BS, right?? When you're in the midst of a tough transition, these cliche statements are the last thing you want to hear. Staying positive is the most difficult thing when you're in the delicate phase of transitioning in life.  This is where I was when I left my job last month. I felt hopeless, afraid, and of course my ego was majorly bruised.

Since that day, which I am choosing not to relive over and over for the sake of my own sanity and well-being, I think I have come around and am getting a little perspective on myself, my desires and all of the possibilities that are available to me now! I am still a little scared, but fear turns into excitement with each passing day. That's the thing, I am FREE! Sure, I am a little broke too, but now is my time to explore my world and decide what I want for my life. That's a big opportunity, the opportunity for re-invention. So, I have a gift right now, and I think I deserve it, damn it!! I just try to remember that this isn't the first time I have had to deal with a less than ideal situation, and it probably won't be the last. I have watched several people go from nothing to something amazing, I have also watched many people be bogged down and suffering due to their circumstances, and the one and only thing that kept those people down is their attitude and disbelief in themselves.  Luckily I have an awesome support system, good friends and family, an affectionate cat,  and a great boyfriend who both deals so well with my occasional melt downs and makes me laugh all the time. Oh, and let's not forget the love that I have for the 2 dogs and an amazing toddler who were all strangers to me last year. Life has a way of putting the joy in your life before it hits you with a change, I will be just fine! (I am also accepting referrals for jobs;);))

When I was looking for ways to bring myself back to my old happy place, I remembered how much I had benefited from meditation in the past. The problem for me is that I have what I call "squirrel brain". If you've ever seen the movie "UP", then you know where it comes from. I am very easily distracted.  The problem I have had with most guided meditation audio is that I can't really hone in on my breathing enought to get to the Alpha level. I am always way more conscious than a person meditating should be. I'll hear a noise in the distance, or I get an itch on my leg and have to start over from the beginning. Before I know it I am either too irritated with myself for not getting it right, or the audio or session is coming to an end and I am still adjusting my clothes or thinking about the fact that my foot is falling asleep. When meditation stresses you out, it's obviously time to stop.

Than came OmHarmonics. (www.OmHarmonics.com). This system uses binuaral beats to help your brain get to it's alpha level much easier and faster than anything else I have tried, and trust me I have tried many! This is from their website: "Binaural beats are specifically engineered sounds that have alternating frequencies and tones that are proven to have an affect on brain wave patterns." They claim that the affects on the brain can produce many health benefits  including pain control, lower anxiety, and ease you into a deep state of relaxation quickly. I am not a Mind Valley sales person, and I am not getting paid for this, so I will leave it up to you do read more about it on the website and download the sample audio if you choose. My opinion is that this is revolutionary for people like me who have trouble even getting to a deeper lever of consciousness. I am only on day 3 and I definitely notice a difference. I believe it's even given me fuel for my blogging and facebook page! 

Here's the thing, I always need 30 days of anything to know if it's for me. So begins the 30 day meditation challenge. I will meditate every day using this program for 30 days and report back to you all. There are short and long meditations, 15 or 30 minutes, and 5 different programs including focus, spark, balance, awaken and deep rest. I will do the 15 minute quick ones first then try the 30 minute sessions. Stay tuned....

 I have a few more topics up my sleeve to write about, but I am going to save those for later. So, that's it for now, kids!!!

Eating Healthy Doesn't Have To Suck!

That's right, eating healthy and preservative free doesn't have to suck, thanks to the wonderful people at Trader Joe's! Those of you who know me well know that I love TJ's, and am probably bordering on obsessed with most of their products. They are not paying me for this, I just love them that much. It helps that I can afford to buy flowers for myself every time I go there, and the people who work there are way more friendly than any supermarket in NJ.  I eat dairy-free, so sometimes finding food that I can eat is like going on a wild goose chase at the grocery store. Cassein, whey, and milk ingredients are in almost all packaged foods, and they sneak it into the craziest things where you'd never even expect it. The awesome people at TJ's provided me with a vegan food list which makes finding dairy free products a cinch! NO, I am not a vegan eater, but at least I know for packaged goods that vegan equals dairy free, always.

So, here is this week's TJ haul. This trip was kind of special since I haven't eaten much solid food in a couple weeks. Those quinoa and black bean infused tortilla chips tasted like they were personally sent from heaven by angels after living on smoothies and jell-o!

Shown here: Puffins cinnamon cereal, quinoa and black bean infused tortilla chips, roasted veggie pizza, extra fiber multi-grain bagels, organic wheat pasta, arrabatica sauce, organic frozen berries, triple ginger snaps (these are the best cookies EVER, especially with hot tea), chocolate covered espresso beans, ginger almond macadamia and cranberry trail mix, savory edamame crackers, almond milk,  chocolate dairy-free sorbet, black bean and corn enchiladas, roasted red pepper eggplant and garlic spread, veggie corn dogs, regular and spicy hummus, sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas,mushrooms and multi colored peppers.... whew!  There is more produce and some protein muffins that didn't make it into the photo shoot as well.

 There is so much awesomeness shown on this table! The frozen pizza that you see is not an ordinary frozen pizza. The good people at TJ's decided to rock my world and make a dairy-free pizza.(I like to believe that was their intention when it was created). I topped it with a half an avocado (I bought a bag of 5 for 4 bucks!), some red bell pepper and a little extra sauce. My taste buds and belly were pleased.

Another thing that I love about TJ's is that they do not use preservatives. If you check the labels on any of their stuff the list is usually very short and every word is easily pronounceable! Let me tell you that their junk food is some of their best stuff, but even the junk is less crappy because it's all REAL.
I am not perfect and I eat questionable food every once in a while, but TJ's makes it super easy to have delicious stuff that is also not going to stay preserved on your insides. Calorie counting or not, it just feels a lot better to know that you are eating real food and not chemicals. They are also very affordable, much cheaper than local grocery stores, and ridiculously cheaper than Whole Foods, a.k.a "whole paycheck".
For those of you who are not near a TJ's, I am sorry for torturing you, and maybe one day you'll understand. I will be back in a couple days to show you some recipes and my favorite quick meals and snacks that I love. I am single, busy as hell, and have maybe 15 minutes a day for food prep, half an hour if I am lucky. If I can make it happen, anyone can.  See you soon!!

The Oral Surgeon Stole My Brain

Hey guys! So, here we are, my first post on Halfway To Zen!
Last week I had all of these great thoughts rolling through my head faster than I could keep up with them. That was when I decided that I needed to get this blog thing going ASAP.  I had my wisdom teeth yanked out and an impacted canine tooth exposed at the oral surgeon on Thursday morning (Dr. Markoff rocks). All-in-all, the procedure was a big success, no major problems. My dad was nice enough to help me out for the first couple days (thanks dad!), and for the last couple I have been at home, vegging. Here is what I have realized: all of those thoughts that I love to produce and spew out onto Facebook and into my journal have disintegrated into thin air. I am convinced that Dr. Markoff took a small part of my brain (the one I use to produce any creative thought) and tossed it into the medical waste bucket!

Today I started to think again (yay!) and realized that the mind/ body/spirit connection really is important and screwing with any one aspect of it can totally set you off balance. I haven't exercised since Tuesday, and am not allowed to do anything more than walking until this Thursday. I also have been set off from normal eating, and forget about spiritual growth when I am barely able to form thoughts outside of which episode of SVU to watch next. I am really looking forward to getting back to MY normal and feeling all balanced again! Tomorrow I have my third photography class and I return to work, wish me luck.

This brings me to the title of my new blog, "Halfway To Zen". I came up with the name when I realized that even when on a spiritual/ life improving journey, while thinking we have it all together, we are always only halfway there. It is a never ending, but amazing process! People will piss you off, circumstances will set you off track, and things will get out of control sometimes. The phrase is sort of a reminder to be patient with yourself, and laugh at the bullshit along the way. I plan to bring you lots of insight from interesting people, recipes, exercise, spiritual articles and most importantly, lots of fun mixed in. Stick with me, kids...